


Joint Travels

by Zephyrfox



Series: Have Double O, Will Travel [4]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies)
Genre: Finally, M/M, holiday romance, they get together this time!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-16 05:42:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16079630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephyrfox/pseuds/Zephyrfox
Summary: James and Q finally manage to spend some time together and get things worked out between them.





	Joint Travels

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to azure7539 for last minute betaing!

 

James Bond decidedly did _not_ limp as he dragged himself back to Q-branch after his latest mission. The last two months had been back-to-back assignments, and that wasn’t including the missions he’d been on before he and Q had finally gotten their acts together and started dating. Well. They’d be dating if they had had time. He wondered if the fates were conspiring against him – the one weekend he’d been free since the two of them had decided to get together, _Q_ had been the one called away to take care of an emergency.

For once, he hoped that there were no missions waiting for him. No matter what, he was taking downtime. Maybe he’d be able to spend some time with his Quartermaster.

At least the Q-Branch lights were mercifully dim this early in the morning. The far corners of the room were in shadows; the skeleton crew manning the desks weren’t moving around enough to trigger the motion sensors for the lights. The day shift wouldn’t be in for at least another hour.

“Ah, Bond. There you are.” Q came out of his office, sounding obscenely alert. If James hadn’t been in love with the man…

He froze, shaken. What? Love? Why had he thought that? He cleared his throat. “Yes. Just got in. I need to return my kit.”

“What’s left of it, you mean.” Q’s smile softened. “I’ve told Mallory that you’re taking time off.”

James nodded tiredly. Good. Then he wouldn’t have to fight for it himself. But… why did Q look hesitant now? “What’s wrong?”

“I, erm…. Would you like to spend your down time with me?”

“I…” James huffed a laugh. He was used to being the pursuer, not the pursued. This should prove interesting. “Yes, I’d like that very much.”

A relieved smile spread over Q’s face. “Good. Turn in your kit, and then we can go — after you’ve been to medical. I spotted that limp.”

Of course he had. Nothing escaped the Quartermaster’s notice. James shook his head with a wry chuckle. “Yes, all right. I’ll go after I’ve seen Jane-Marie.”

“Good. I’ll meet you there as soon as I’m finished getting things settled here.”

James nodded, then hesitated. “I’ve been on mission, so I’ll need to stop by my flat to get a few changes of clothes. What will I need —”

“There’s no need for that,” Q blushed. “I took the liberty of packing for you. Do you mind?”

He raised an eyebrow. This was getting even more intriguing. It hadn’t escaped his notice that Q hadn’t mentioned where they were going. “That’s fine. I’d best get this checked in, then we can leave.”

“Don’t think you’re getting out of going to medical!”

_Damn._

 

~~~~

 

Q watched James head towards Jane-Marie’s domain in Supply. Nothing had actually happened that first night two months ago. As much as he hated to admit it, he had been tired, and a bit surprised that James apparently did want him. They had ended up having dinner and talking, rather than anything else. Since that night, they hadn’t had time for anything more.

He’d been hoping that after this last mission they could go on holiday — he just hadn’t expected James to be in such bad shape. His exhaustion was almost palpable. Well, no matter what happened — or didn’t happen — in the next week or two, he would do his best to make sure James got some rest.

 

~~~~

 

The small plane dropped and side-slipped through the turbulence from the storm that had blown up two hours into their flight. James smiled. He could practically feel Q’s fierce enjoyment in pitting his piloting skills against the elements.

The plane gave one last shudder before the laboring engines smoothed out. “We’re out of the storm now,” Q said, sounding almost disappointed.

“Where are we?” James asked, not actually caring if he got an answer. Q hadn’t told him the first few times he’d asked, and he wasn’t expecting anything different this time.

Q glanced at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling up, barely visible behind the thick frames of his glasses. “Nice try, but no.”

James chuckled. He felt remarkably relaxed for someone who had essentially been kidnapped. Even his sore leg didn’t hurt as much, after the enforced visit to medical.

Q flipped on the radio and began the familiar call and response to the local tower — in Icelandic. That piqued James’ interest. Why had Q learned to speak that language? He kept quiet, making a note to ferret out the reason, and closed his eyes as the conversation with the tower washed over him.

The plane dropped lower, turning in a slow arc as Q followed the tower’s instructions.

James opened his eyes once more as the plane touched down with a gentle bump. “Good job.” He meant it, too. Q’s piloting skill had impressed him.

Q slanted a quick grin at him. “Thank you for flying Q Air. I hope you’ve enjoyed your flight, and will remember Q Air for all your future travel needs.”

James laughed, unable to contain the unexpected laughter that bubbled forth from deep within his chest.

The small plane rolled to a stop, and then they were scrambling out, collecting their bags. Q directed the ground crew to service the plane, and to make sure it was fueled and ready to go in a week’s time.

“Only a week?” James asked, feeling oddly disappointed.

Q shrugged. “If we need more time, I’ll just give Mallory a call.”

James nodded, reassured. He was sure that a week wasn’t long enough to get to know Q. He wasn’t sure if even a lifetime would be long enough.

They made their way across the tarmac to the small terminal, where a bored customs officer stamped their passports. “Welcome to Iceland, Mr Bryndisarson, Mr Sterling.”

Formalities completed, Q led James out into the sunshine once more. A Bugatti Chiron that left James immediately jealous of its driver pulled up to the kerb in front of them. The driver got out and popped open the boot.

Q passed the driver and put their bags into the minuscule boot. “Give him the keys,” he said, tilting his head towards James.

“Yes, sir,” The driver said, handing the keys over. “Enjoy your stay.”

James tossed the keys up as the driver walked towards the terminal, and snatched them out of the air. He was already itching to drive the Chiron.

Q slammed the boot shut and grinned at him. “I thought you’d be pleased with this.”

“I am,” he smiled sharply. “Now you’ll _have_ to tell me where we’re going.”

Q’s laughter filled his ears as they got into the Chiron.

 

~~~~

 

James was in heaven. The Chiron was a joy to drive. He pressed the accelerator down, and the engine took on a throaty roar as it hugged the road’s curves. The terrain slipped past as the Chiron shot forward. A glance at the passenger seat showed Q, watching him with a smug smile.  They passed a sign, but James couldn’t quite make out the name. “Pingvellir?” he guessed.

“Close, but no. It’s pronounced something like Thingvellir. That’s not a p at the beginning of the word, it’s a Þ, thorn.”

That gave him the opening he needed. “You speak Icelandic.”

Q hummed in agreement. “Yes, I do.”

“And the matronymic?”

“Son of Bryndis?” Q shot him a wicked smirk. “You’ll need to work a little harder to get the answer to that one, Mr Bond.”

He just grinned, concentrating once more on his driving. Q was full of surprises, and he was looking forward to uncovering each one.

“You might want to slow a little. Our turn is in a few miles,” Q said.

James slowed obediently. A sign for the Ping — _Thing_ vellir, he corrected himself — National Park flashed by. Several miles later, he turned into the long, winding road that Q indicated.

At the end of the road, he pulled the Chiron into a gravel parking lot, coming to a stop between a Lexus and a Land Rover. The hotel wasn’t as luxurious as some he’d stayed in, but with its stark, clean lines, it had a certain charm of its own. They got out of the car and took their bags in.

“Mr Bryndisarson?” The receptionist asked as they approached the desk, looking from him to Q.

Q stepped forward, speaking confidently in Icelandic, then almost too obviously checked himself and continued in lightly accented English. “ — have our reservation?”

“Of course, sir,” the receptionist followed smoothly into English. “You are in Suite 4, at the end of the corridor to the right. We have room service available, and the restaurant is open. If you need anything at all, please call the front desk.”

Q took the keycard with a smile of thanks, and led James to the door that would take them to their suite.

The door opened on to a long, curving corridor, completely walled in glass on one side, and a solid wall interrupted by four doors on the other. At the far end of the corridor, Q unlocked the door and stood aside, allowing James to enter first.

He stopped, stock still, when he entered the room and saw the wall of glass opposite him. The view was stunning. He’d seen majestic views before, and while this one might not be at the top of his list, it was close.

Q poked him in the side. “C’mon, let me in.”

He stepped aside, taking Q’s bag, and put it and his own beside the dresser. The view from the window pulled him closer.

“Do you like this so far?” Q asked, a hint of uncertainty around him.

“I do. This place is… surprisingly peaceful.”

Q beamed. “Good, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Would you… erm… Would you like to soak in the hot tub?”

“Clothed or unclothed?” He quipped, wanting to see just how adventurous his Quartermaster was.

“Unclothed, of course,” Q answered with a wink.

 

~~~~

 

Each suite was essentially a private cabin, separated from the others by a few feet, and linked by the corridor to the hotel’s lobby. The deck offered that gorgeous view, with the illusion of complete privacy. James soaked in the hot tub, luxuriating in the heat. Q sat across from him, head resting against the tub’s molded pillow.

“I could stay here forever.”

“Oh? And here I thought we had plans for this evening.”

“What, exactly, did you have in mind?” Q lifted his head to look at him, water dripping from the curls at his nape, one brow raised.

James moved, water cascading from his upper body as he knelt above Q, straddling his legs. He looked into hazel eyes, strangely naked without the barrier of thick frames. Memories of seeing Q with a pair of lovers at Warped!Con ran through his mind, sending heat to his groin. “All sorts of things,” he replied, and kissed Q.

 

~~~~

 

Much later, James stretched on the bed, feeling pleasantly sore. “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

“Because we were traveling?” Q mumbled from beside him, the words muffled by their blankets.

“No, I meant…”  James waved his hand between them _, “this.”_

“Ah, yes. _This,”_ Q said unhelpfully, emerging from the beneath the blankets and propping himself up on one elbow. “Because we were both too stubborn.”

“We were both idiots.”

“That, too.” Q shifted, pillowing his head on James’ shoulder, and slid an arm over his stomach. “Let’s not be stubborn idiots again.”

“All that is behind us,” James promised, wrapping his arm around Q’s shoulders.

“Good.”

James lay awake, listening as Q’s breathing evened out into sleep. He hadn’t had many short term relationships, let alone long term ones, but here he was. The last serious relationship he’d had had been with Vesper. He’d even quit MI6 for her, the more fool he. After, when the whole mess was over, he’d wondered why he had fallen so hard for her. He was man enough to admit that fear had played a large part in his actions. Fear that he could no longer… perform. Fear of the torture he’d suffered, that it might happen again. Those fears had driven him closer to Vesper. He’d already been attracted to her, to her brash self-confidence, and when he discovered the brittle fragility that self-confidence disguised, it had appealed to his overly broad protective streak. Leaving MI6 had made sense then. He could protect her from the world, and not be at risk further pain. How stupid he’d been.

He had never expected to be in a relationship with another man, either. He’d always been… flexible, which was an asset in an agent. After Vesper, he realized that while he greatly appreciated the female form, he was closest to other men. When he’d returned to MI6 after Venice, several of his fellow Double O’s had taken him on a pub crawl, where they’d run into a group of field agents, out for a pub crawl of their own. The two groups had combined, and after an alcohol soaked night, he woke up to find himself in bed with 008 and a field agent named Ronson. They hadn’t done anything until they’d sobered up, but once they had, it had been a weekend to remember. He’d formed a casual relationship with Ronson after that — until Ronson had been killed during that mess with Silva.

Then he’d met Q.

Q’s self-confidence had attracted him from the beginning, and he’d wondered at first if Q was hiding a fragility similar to Vesper’s. But, in the time they’d worked together since Skyfall, he’d learned that Q’s self-confidence had a solid base in the sure knowledge of his capability. He’d been reluctant at first to take the chance that Q would betray him or die, but he was glad that he had.

 

~~~~

 

The next morning, after getting water and a picnic lunch from the hotel kitchen, they drove to Þingvellir National Park to hike. This early in the season it was still chilly, keeping the number of other tourists down. They planned to hike along the Oxara river, with the Oxararfoss waterfall over Þingvellavatn Lake as their destination. They were still discussing going scuba diving there, in the crystal clear water, sometime later in the week.

After hiking all morning, they arrived at the lake. James spread a blanket out over the ground while Q unpacked their lunch. They were on a hillside above the lake, where they could look down into the crystal clear water. Snorkelers swam along the lake bottom, wearing drysuits to keep away the chilly water, looking as though they were suspended in glass.

He sat down on the blanket and leaned against his pack. Q sat next to him and offered him a sandwich. Hazel eyes followed his to the lake.

“Did you want to go snorkeling or diving today after all?”

“No, not today. Maybe in a few days. Today is for doing nothing but a bit of hiking and relaxation.”

They ate in silence. James contemplated the sense of peace he had. Not a usual feeling for him. What did he want in a relationship with Q? Because, surprisingly, he did want that. But — how would that affect his career? He had no intention of giving up field work and his Double O status.

Q bumped his shoulder. “I can hear you thinking. You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

One of the hikers walking past them on the trail caught James’ attention before he could answer. He recognized that walk… And, now that he thought about it, that must be the reason behind the three other people he had semi-recognized throughout the morning. “You have Peters here, and some junior agents. Three of them.”

“Yes. I didn’t want you to have a busman’s holiday needing to protect me. Mallory insisted I have protection, so Peters and some juniors were assigned.” Q smiled in satisfaction. “I knew you’d spot them quickly. I’ll have to tell Moneypenny and Tanner they need to pay up.”

“Of course you bet on when I’d notice I had backup,” James shook his head. Truthfully, he didn’t mind. It was a relief that he had someone he could count on should something happen. “I was thinking about us. And the future.”

“If there’s an us in the future?”

He nodded, relieved that Q had said it.

Q was quiet for a moment, his attention turned inward. Then, “I’d like there to be an us in the future, but… If you’d rather not…”

James hurriedly interrupted. “I don’t know how good of a partner I’d be, but I’d like to try. But…”

“Your missions.”

“Yes.” He wouldn’t compromise there. He couldn’t.

“James. Did you forget Warped!Con?”

The reminder that Q had had other lovers almost distracted him, but he pushed away those memories. They weren’t important now. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve had other lovers before. I’ve had multiple lovers at the same time. I have never cheated, and if I discover someone has cheated on me, I leave. Or kick them out. So —”

His stomach twisted. “But that’s —”

“No, hear me out. It’s all right. I’m talking about relationships, not work. You need to sleep with others — to gain their trust, or to get information — for the mission. That’s work, it’s not cheating. And, to be clear, I’m definitely not averse to you coming home and telling me all about it later, when we’re in bed.”

James nodded cautiously, keeping his hope throttled back. Q still had more to say.

“And, sometimes, when we’ve talked about it and agree on it, we can pick up a lover or two to share for the night.” A wicked grin spread across Q’s face. “Threesomes can be fun.”

He didn’t like the idea of sharing Q with anybody, but that was him being a possessive bastard. He’d had threesomes in the past that he’d enjoyed, and if Q was willing, and didn’t mind him sleeping with marks — and they would discuss everything first… He grinned, suddenly feeling lighter. Maybe this thing between them would work out well after all.

 

~~~~

 

The last day of their vacation, they decided to venture into the nearest town and check out the clubs. As much as they had appreciated Iceland’s natural beauty in all its glory, they both missed life in a bustling city.

James felt the club’s pulsing beat in his chest as he made his way through the crowds with their drinks. He was aiming for the far wall by the dance floor, where he’d left Q.

He wove his way through a cluster of dancers and spotted his lover. A young punk in tight clubbing gear spoke earnestly to him, reminding James sharply of their nearly a decade age difference. It looked as though the man was trying to get Q to dance with him. James smirked, shoving his sudden uncertainty away. That would never happen.

Q’s eyes flicked up and locked on his with an answering smirk.

James leaned over and spoke into the man’s ear. “Move along, lad.”

The punk spun and attempted to posture, obviously trying to cover his alarm. “Who are you?”

Before he could respond, Q took one of the drinks from him and toasted him. “My boyfriend. And he’s right, you should move along.”

The punk deflated and slunk off, disappearing into the crowd.

“Boyfriend?” James asked, feeling an odd flutter in his stomach. He was still getting used to the idea of having someone that wanted to stick around. He was too accustomed to missions and one night stands. Never anything long-term. Q’s nod warmed him, and he could feel his face ache with the fierce grin stretching his cheeks. He stepped close to Q, put their drinks on the rail beside them, and pulled him into a searing kiss.

  


**Author's Note:**

> I love reviews, comments, and any other sort of communication. Feel free to stop in to say hi - you can find me on Tumblr at leavesdancing.tumblr.com, or at my Bond fandom tumblr, zephyrfox.tumblr.com.


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